Building the Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador
Initiative in U.S. Territories (316)
Marcus Landon Aydlett, NOAA/NWS,
Barrigada, Guam
Elinor Lutu-McMoore, NOAA/NWS
Jane Taifane, NOAA/NWS
William Brandon Aydlett, NOAA/NWS
Chip Guard, NOAA/NWS
Abstract:
In November of 2016, all of
the offices in Pacific Region were encouraged to embrace the Weather-Ready
Nation (WRN) Ambassador initiative and begin a focused recruiting push
throughout the region. At that time, there were only 15 WRN Ambassadors between
WFO Guam, WFO Honolulu, and WSO Pago Pago, American Samoa. WFO Guam and WSO
Pago Pago particularly embraced this push in their island communities and
quickly began reaching out to their partners to get them aboard. Through this
push, Pacific Region eclipsed the 200 WRN Ambassador mark by February of 2018.
WFO Guam recruited over 150 WRN Ambassadors, the third most of any National
Weather Service office. Personalized recruiting efforts, seasonal weather
hazards newsletters and other tangibles were key in recruiting community organizations.
This presentation will cover how the WRN program can be adapted to unique, less
traditional areas, such as Pacific Region, and the steps that were taken to
make this a successful recruiting campaign.